The Kenner Pontchartrain Center

Very high prices, not very friendly or knowledgable. It was also $ 10 per person to get in… This is madness. Very few places had decent prices. Lots of china nylon garbage & bad knives … Don’t know if I will go back for a few years

Sure as shooting, if you’re going to the Gun and Knife Show, it’s probably going to be held at the Ponchartrain Center. The facilities are pretty much on par with any other non-​metro convention center. It’s way, way out in the bowels of Kenner. If you’re wondering if you missed it, no you didn’t, you just haven’t gone far enough out yet because there’s no way to miss it.
In addition to Gun Shows, I’ve been here for school fairs back when that was my profession. It’s pretty unremarkable, but very roomy. There is a huge parking lot, but it is awkwardly positioned in the back, so no matter where you park it is still a pretty good haul to get the front door.
If I were an event coordinator, I don’t know that I’d choose the Ponchartrain Center. But, then again, I guess it would depend on what kind of events I was doing.

This venue is large with ample parking and seating. It hosted the event I attended very suitably (high school graduation). Staff was friendly, if not terribly helpful.
I did see a couple major problems though.
First, there’s not really a great place to congregate outside of the «auditorium,» which only creates an issue if it’s an event where everyone is excited and wants to hug and kiss their families afterwards. Like a graduation. There were just hundreds of people spilling out into the street, which created problem #2: Getting the hell out of there. Because of the fact that everyone was spilling into the street, it was impossible to get out! There was an officer directing traffic, but he was not very good at it. I think he was just standing around enjoying the mayhem. There is only 1 small road to get in/​out, and all of the people and cars and craziness made it take about 20 minutes to go 100 yards. If they could fix this problem, it would be 4 stars.

What do gun shows, Mardi Gras balls, state wrestling championships, children’s dance recitals and political rallies have in common? The Pontchartrain Center.
I have attended all of those events, and more at this large facility at the end of Williams Blvd.
The good:
This facility has plenty of free parking. There is less free parking since a hotel was built several years ago, but you should find a spot.
The facility is fairly large. While not as big as the New Orleans Convention Center, this facility can host very large events, even two large events at a time. I was once here for a dance recital while the VP was speaking in the room next door. There were even Secret Service Agents making sure the kids didn’t act up.
It is relatively safe. There are always uniformed Kenner (Brah) cops and regular security guards, especially at gun shows.
The bad:
It is incredibly far from anywhere, but Kenner (Brah).
The parking area is large, but fills up quickly. You may have to walk a long distance to get to the building. That really sucks when it is raining and you’re trying to carry a child in a puppy costume.
In summary, The Pontchartrain Center is A-​OK.

While New Orleans itself has the Convention Center, Kenner has the Pontchartrain Center. It’s you’re typical convention center and hosts a myriad amount of events. I’ve been there for everything from the circus to a gun show to taking a standardized testing for an engineering license. Experiences have been mixed, it can be a good place or a bad place to have an event. I would say you shouldn’t let this locale be the determining factor in attending an event, but it really is a roll of the dice.

The Louisiana State Bar Association used this place to put on a legal seminar. This one was the seminar that is set for New Orleans. They are held around the State. Well for a New Orleans seminar it is a long way away from the City. Free parking is a big plus but the place is way out there. I could observe my gas guage in my vehicle move downward on the drive. And the evening traffic trying to get back to New Orleans got a great many souls out of purgatory for me today.

I have been to a couple of events at the Ponchartrain Center now. The first was a training session for work. It was mostly well organized, including a test drive track in the parking lot (yay!). However, we were promised refreshments… I think they put out about 10 cookies for 50+ people, along with some watered down lemonade. Insufficient, especially when their concession stands aren’t open mid-​day. Not sure if this was bad planning on my company’s part, or the Center, but it sucked.
The other «major» event that I attended here was my daughter’s dance recital. Unlike the work event, they had the concession stands open. In fact, the entire place smelled like popcorn. This was the typical overpriced food you would find anywhere else, so I didn’t purchase any, but at least it was offered.
The staff have always been friendly when I’ve had to interact with them… which is good, because the layout of this place can be a little confusing (especially since they don’t seem to believe in signage to direct visitors to the correct hall).
I prefer the convention center, but the Ponchartrain Center is a good JP alternative, I suppose.

The Pontchartrain Center is on the other end of the earth to me, right off the lake on Williams Blvd. It is Kenner’s answer to the convention center. It can be rearranged into a variety of configurations. None have been to great. The staff was surly, the bathrooms weren’t very clean, the parking was nightmare AND I there were men in inappropriately short shorts b/​c Back to the Beach was happening just across the levee and the casino.
Thank goodness my niece is quitting dancing school, so I won’t have to go to another dance recital here next year. I hope it will be another decade before I return.